15 times the scene rocked sporting events

To the scene, “The Anthem” often refers to the Good Charlotte track (or even the Dashboard Confessional one), but in sports, that phrasing typically refers to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Sometimes these worlds collide, however, giving us Alex Gaskarth a cappella at an Orioles game and Paramore dancing at a Predators conference final. From performances to appearances, head below for several moments where the scene rocked out at sporting events.

Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low)

All Time Low wrapped up their spring 2015 Future Hearts tour in their hometown of Baltimore. While home, the pop-punk act headed to an Orioles game where frontman Alex Gaskarth gave his take on the national anthem. This was neither the first nor last time the band was involved with Major League Baseball as they previously performed several tracks on the MLBFanCave.com concert series in 2012, and most recently offered up an acoustic rendition of “Good Times” on the MLB Network’s MLB Central this past June.

MGK and Cleveland often go hand in hand with the rapper never shying away from repping his town. That pride extends to sports where MGK has developed a relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers that began in the 2010-2011 season when the team’s DJ, Steph Floss, began playing more of his music during games. This eventually led to him striking up a friendship with owner Dan Gilbert and being invited to the 2013 NBA draft lottery. Fast-forward to 2016 where MGK performed on (and off) a float at the victory parade following the team’s NBA Championship win. He entertained fellow fans again in May 2017 at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals where he spit a medley of “Go For Broke” from his then newly released third LP, bloom, and the anthemic “Till I Die.”

Metallica

James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett brought out their guitars for a truly electric performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals. The Californians each repped Golden State Warriors gear as the team prepared to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The band revealed they like to support their hometown teams, which is why they agreed to perform.

Travis Barker (Blink-182)

WrestleMania is a huge event in WWE, and Travis Barker joined several others as the musical entertainment for the 2015 installment. While Barker wasn’t there to play Blink tracks, he did offer up the beat for Skylar Grey and Kid Ink. The trio put together a medley of David Guetta’s “Rise” (which features Grey and was chosen as the event’s official theme song) and Kid Ink’s “Money And The Power.” Both artists had asked Barker to join them, which he delightfully accepted to help out his friends, but also because he has been a wrestling fan since he was a kid.

New York Mets fan and Taking Back Sunday guitarist/vocalist John Nolan melded his two loves of baseball and music back in 2014. The musician was invited on the field where he performed his a cappella rendition of “God Bless America.” While he described the experience as “one of the coolest things [he’s] ever done,” he also detailed a fear of not wanting to mess it up.

Paramore call Nashville, Tennessee, home, so it’s no surprise the trio wound up at a 2017 Western Conference second round game where the Predators were facing off against the St. Louis Blues. The announcer introduced the pop-rock act who were decked out head-to-toe in Preds gear as they did their best to pump up the crowd to DMX’s “Party Up (Up In Here).” As the team progressed further into the Stanley Cup playoffs, Paramore became one of many familiar faces to pop up in an arena, which also included Kings Of Leon, Kelly Clarkson, power couple Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, Carrie Underwood (who is married to captain Mike Fisher) and more.

Joey Belladonna (Anthrax)

In September 2016, Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna took to the field at a Chicago Cubs game to offer his rendition of the national anthem. Later that year, Belladonna appeared at the Chicago Bulls’ ‘80s night to perform the anthem from center court.

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